Does Australia need an elimination strategy?

A number of states have essentially eliminated COVID-19 through tough border policies, should Australia as a nation do the same?

Don’t panic!

Panic buying toilet paper is a quick mental fix that makes people feel more prepared and less anxious, says a UNSW consumer behaviour expert, given the news of rising COVID-19 infections in Victoria and fears of a second wave of infection.

There’s no returning to the pre-COVID-19 world

COVID-19 has been described as a once-in-a-century pandemic and its effects will cause a permanent shift in the way the world operates at every social, political and economic level.

Looking back to glimpse the future

Monash historians and archaeologists take the opportunity to look at precedents for our current situation and find some consolation in our forebears’ pathways to recovery from the pandemic.

Wearing masks will help society recover

The World Health Organisation has reversed its earlier advice and now encourages everyone to wear a mask while outside. Wearing masks on public transport is now compulsory in many countries, and Australia should follow suit.

Doctor WHO to the rescue?

While Scott Morrison’s suggestion that the World Health Organization might investigate disease outbreaks like weapons inspectors is interesting, there would be obvious problems with implementing it in reality.

Could wealth hidden in tax havens help pay for COVID-19?

Late last month, Denmark, France and Poland banned companies registered in tax havens from receiving government COVID-19 bailouts. Should Australia do the same?

Can a vaccine be found against COVID-19?

As COVID-19 restrictions ease, medical scientists across the globe are searching for potential vaccines against the deadly virus, but there’s no certainty that one will ever be found, and if one is, it may not happen quickly.

It’s not a walk in the park from here

Government rules do more than simply define what is permissible. They also signal information that influences public behaviour in other areas of life, and so messaging over opening up society again must be mindful of its consequences.

A light in the darkness

Australian and New Zealand nurses are asking everyone to light a candle at 7 pm tonight, Tuesday 12th of May, to commemorate their brave colleagues around the world who have lost their lives to COVID-19 while caring for others.

The return of the ‘Iron Lung’?

Could the use of “Iron lung” ventilators reduce ventilator-associated complications and the death rate in the most severely affected Covid-19 patients?

We need an international inquiry into COVID-19

It’s time to take the global debate about the pandemic out of the hands of Beijing and Washington and reclaim it for the 6.08 billion people who do not live in China or the US.